Centrifugal separator.



J. W.'PHILLIPS. GENTRIFUGAL SEPARATOR; APPLICATION FILED Ail G 11',1908. 924,376. Patented June 8, 1909.

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, WITNESSES V l .rator's, of which the'following is a specifica:

mm eateries KJLF' hamm- CENTRIFUGAL sEeeiimron.

Applicationfiled August 11, ieos. Serial at, 4 2 7 To ail who-"m mayconcern:

' Be it-known'that I, JOHN WARN]; PHIL:

LIPS, citizen; of theUnited States, residingat Silver City,- inthevcount-y of, Lyon and-- 'State of Nevada, have invented new anduseful Improvements'in Centrifugal Sepm tion.

y 10 of-thi'stype which is designed for mining, I and metallurgicalpurposes, breweries, sugar and oil refineries, and'any uses where it is'desiredtoseparate solids from liquids. 'lhe object of the, presentinventionistof providea 'zentrifugal separator which shall be ofsimplebonstruction, easy to operate, ,ofma ximfum capacity, practical,and durapeculiar desig1i-'and"mode of operation wlzie'reby every bi esthe material under:' I going concentration or separation must passoutward first into through .a 'zoneof maximum" centrifuging force, theliquids charge separate from the solids.

- .A'n'other object is'to provide a means; for

rapidly bringing the material to the same interfere "with separation.

The invention "at sists [of the v the construction and combination ofparts as hereinafter more fully described; and claimed, havingreferencefto. the i ing drawings, in which-ea Figure ,1 is a 'centralvertical-section u centrifugal se arator, Fig; 2 IS ZLSGQtIOHQIr' lineIn. the embodiment construct-a 'shellfma'de in two parts or sec;

tionsA and 2. Each section is in the form,-

of atruncated-fcone/With:the, bases-jot the both to'p and bottom, andthe area; proximate hereinafter. This shell is supported upon I verticalshaft 4, which latter is supportedin] suitable bearings 56 in" the mainframe B' ble; and; especially to provide'a'machine of i 20 i beingstrained backward again through the; zone of'aggreat'est energy toapoint" of: dis-* speed of revolution as the'pan, and accompany-fj twoconicaljseetioii'ssuitably secureditogetheif -a at The' shellso'cOnStructedis open -at Patented June 8,1909.

v the'fapparatumi collar being keyed to the shaft land carrying aninclined :disk 8 serves to support theshell, upon said shaft. ;2[he'disk. 8 does ,not extend to. the shell,

the way around, through which every. bit

of the material to be-separated'pa'sses. The

disk 8 constitii'tes: the floor of the receiving 1 invention relates tocentrifugal separators, and pertains especially to a separator hopper,and should not be perforated'u 'All 'constitutes- ;t -he receivinghopper 10.-- The upper surfaceofixdisk 8 carries-a number of straighter.curved; 'Thejfunction of these solids; and liquids,-'heavy and light,through the space around, disk 8" into the greatest diameter of themachine; thereby forcing pump, pumping the aflluent-materialthrough thestationary wall of'water and solids in suspension which is formed at 1)above and the line 1D being coincident with the mouth of the liquidoutlet. pipes 13'.and parallel to the. 1Xl S .-2tn(l extending bothabove and 4 instead ofbeii-ig 'drawn upagainst this Wall 1)ofliqiridiand. material and allowed to flow up alongj' 'it and out-ofthe machine, "must by the forcing action of these webs or vanes-I1 1,and because of the construction of D, and all material subjected tothe,greatest separating action of the machine. No ma :terial can get out ofthe .machine'withoutit ip'assesaround the outer'cdge'of"this diskS' ofmynvention,

which. constitutes the bottom of 'the hopper *space-l-OJI I On thelower'surface of disk 8'is 'aconical inverted trust'um C, the lower edgeof which is on -thewater-line D; infact, locates the water-line.vTheafflu'ei'i't.liquids strained in -ward from the greater diameter of;the shell spill over Ltheilower edge of the conical ring through the'pipes 13 which tap the space behindthe ring 0. All the'liquld before itcan be discharged. from the machine, must ass first through the area ofgreatest separating force in the machine, and then it below disk 8,:when the machine'is running;

and collect under'disk ,8, to be discharged 'therebeinga "spacel2 leftbetween them all I thatpart off'the-machin'e above the disk 8 e5radialiwebs or' vanesll which may beeither i vanes 11 'is 'to'force'allthe material, bot h below the. plate, '8; l .The affluentmaterial,

the machine, be. driven through "this barrier must strain back to theoutlets 13 against centrifu al force. In doing so the liquids aretherdby separated from the solids, which latter are thrown against thecasing 2 and removed by the scrapers 1st. To increase this action on theliquids on their inward return, counter to the centrifuging force, a

number ofplates areplaced on the under side of disk 8, in the outerangle between the outside edge of d1sk 8 and ring C, but not so as tointerfere with the scrapers 1+L which work between the plates c and thewhirling action of the liquid and bring it rapidly to and maintain it atthe same speed as the casing. Since the shell, the hopper 10, the disk8, vanes 11 and c and ring 0, revolve in unison, the material takes upthe speed of the machine almost immediately without splash or commotion,-and consequently a separation begins more rapidly and continues moresatisfactorily and efficiently than Where the liquid and material isfree to slip around inside the 'machine.

The outward and downward flare of the up per section A causes thematerial to travel down to the line of union with the section 2, andthrough the annular space 12 between the outer rim of the disk 8 and theadjacent meeting edges of the sections A and 2. The tubes 13 dischargeat the top into the annular stationary trough 1 1. The solids are madeto travel downward to'the point of discharge at the lower end of theapparatus by the conjoint action of the spiral blades or scrapers 141-with the inside of the section 2.

fiThese spiralv blades 14: are fixed'to the i radially disposed webs 15,which latterare carried by a hub 15- secured to thesle'eve or hollowshaft 16 rotatable upon suitable bearings 1718 about the shell shaft 1;the

' shaft 4. and the sleeve or hollow shaft 16 having motion in the samedirection, but at different rates of speed.

' To the top of the supporting webs 15 is fixed a ring 19, suitablyspaced from the disk 8 above. The disk 8 and ring 19 inclose a spaceopening outward to the shell for the reception of the separated liquid,which is drawn off through the pipe or pipes 13 carried by the shell.The ring. 19 prevents the liquid which passes below it from rushingupward and out through the discharge pipes 18; this water beneath thering usually being muddy, owing to the agitation caused by thevblades 14in scraping the solids through the water-line D.

Ring 19 operates, however, to separate this eeesve died or partiallyseparated liquid again into an area of greater centrifugal action aroundthe shell.

The bearings 17-16 for the hollow Slnt'lill 16, are lubricated 11'0111the top of the main shaft through the Oll passage 20.

1 Below'the shell and hub 15 is an annular catch-pan 21 into'which thesolids are dethe solids collected in the pan are delivered bythescrapers 23 at the lower ends of the radial scraper conveyors 1 1.Just above the opening 22 is a radial deflecting lip 25, to

insure the downward discharge of the solids into any suitable receptaclebeneath. discharge for the solids at the lower end takes place nearerthe axis of the machine than the water-line D or discharge pipes 13. Ifthis were not the case-the liquid would come out with the solids and thedischarge for the solids would locate the waterline instead of the pipes13. The spiral scrapers or blades in scraping the solids downward to theoutlet, work the solids along a space inside the water-line; the solidsbeing dried by centrifugal force before discharge; the water or liquidpassing back up into the machine being another cause for making theliquid muddy below the ring 19.

By making the discharge for the solids nearer the axis of the machine,it. is impossiblefor the liquid to be discharged with them, unless themachine is overfcd, and pipes 13 not large enough to carry the liquidfed. Ialso gain, as above slated, the ad vantage of drying the solidsafter they are separated from the liquid by centrifugal action beforethey are expelled from the machine. v

The space between the disk 8 and ring. 15) forms a protected space orchamber for the separated liquid proximate to the greatest diameter ofthe shell. Consequently, all the liquid reaching this space must passthrough areas of greatest centrifugal energy, and the liquid whichpasses out through. the pipes 13 is practically clear liquid.

Both shaft 1 and shaft 16 are driven from a shaft 26 by respectivegearing connections 27 28; the shaft 26 being given constant motionthrough appropriate connection with any suitable source of power. Thepitch of the respective gears 272S varies more or less, according to thedifference in speed at which it is desired to drive the shell and theconveyer blades 14; as manifestly it is necessary that the conveyorsoperate at a slightl greater or slightly slower speed than the shell, inorder to secure the downward movement of the solids in the shell.

In practice, the operation of the device is as follows: The shell andblades are made The I shell A are drawn into the angle formed bysubstantially in line with the discharge pipes 13, and whicheibase' lineis theafo'resaid water-line D. "The-llrsolids are? scraped directly outof the machine and discharged and the forcing or pumping afforded by the-.solids from the liquids at opposite ends of of the spiral blades 14,which latter extend a little aboye the angle, and scrape down the theyare discharged from the machine through the. outlet 22by the scrapers23. l When themachine is in operation, the in-- I feed of the material.is'so regulated that the waist portion of the jshell by centrifugal ofthe shell, and the corresponding differed- -tial motion given to thescrapers 14, together to revolveathigh rates of speed. The Illa: terialto be treated is allowed to flow in through the opening at the upper endof the hopper space 10, and is preventedfroni passing directly downthrough themachine by the disk& It ,i'sthere'upon thrown to the sides bycentrifugal force, aided by the vanes 11, and thencepasses-downwardalong the inclined surface ofthe upper section A untilitmeets the oppositely inclined surface of the lower section 2. Passingthrough the annular space 12, the separated liquid collects in the spacebetween the disk 8 and ring 19, thence to be discharged'through thepipes 13 into the annular trough 14, which latter has an outlet 14'. Inthepassing of the liquid into the space between the ring 19 and disk 8,it is made to worlr its wa through portions of the'greatest energy, sothat it becomes freed of the solid matter in reaching the outlet to thetubes 13-. All the solids that collect on the inside of the upper themeeting slopes of the two sections, and this angle is kept clean by theupper sections whole lower surface of the portion 2 of the shell. Thesespiral conveyers Henry the solids down intothe pan 21, from whencematerial andilitjuidwill fill an annular space which. is substantiallytriangular in section, with the inner vertical base of the triangledownwardly beneath and at "the opposite, end of the machine fromtheliquid, there being no transverse prjectionsoubottom to the apparatus.

-' By this" apparatus it is apparent'that there the'scrapers 14, pumpingvanes 11, the material would bei'held in this expanded force alone."'Howeven's" the rapid rotation with the infeed of freshmaterial at thetop,

vanes 11,. cause the final separation of the the apparatus. No solidscan pass outwith the water, since inorder to do so they would have to bedrawn through the machine against centrifugal force. 1

Having thus described my invention, what I. claim and desire to secureby Letters Patent is i 1. In a centrifugal separator, the combination ofa rotatable shell open at the ends and having an' enlargedcircumferential portion between its ends, a shaft to which the shell isfixed, spirally arranged blades inside the shell, means for giving theshell and the blades a differential rotary niotion to discharge thesolids at the'lower end of the apparatus, and an imperforate disk withinthe shell and fixed to the sliaft,'and having its outer edge proximateto the greatest diameter 'of the shell, saidv disk beingseparated fromthe shell to provide an opening for the passage of all the material fedin from above and through which opening all the material must pass, thespace below said disk having a discharge for the liquids extending abovethe disk and exterior to the shell.

2. A centrifugal separator comprising a shell open at the ends andhaving an enlarged circumferential portion between its ends, a shaft towhich the shell is fixed,

spirally arranged blades inside the shell, means for giving the bladesand the shell a differential rotary motion, an imperforate disk rigidwith the shaft and shell and I within the latter and having its outeredge. proximate to the greatest diameter-pf the shell and separatedtherefrom to provide an opening around which all the material fed intothe apparatus above the diskzimu'st passand'the space below the diskhaving a, liquid discgliarge separate from the discharge of the soli s.l

. v v 3. A centrifugal separator comprising a shell open at the ends andhaving an enlarged circumferential portion between its ends,'a shaft towhich the shell is fixed, spirally arranged blades inside the shell, 10means for giving the blades and the shell a. differential rotarymotion,an imperforate disk rigid with the shaft and shell and within the latterand having its outer edge proximate to the greatest diameter of'theshell and separated therefrom to provide an opening around which all thematerial fed into the a paratus above the disk must pass, thespac'e-iielow the disk having a liquid discharge separate from the dischargeof the 1 solids, and said disk provided witlrrotary vanes. t

- 4. A centrifugal separator comprising a shell open at the ends andhaving an enlarged circumferential portion between its ends, a shaft towhich the shell is fixed, spirally arranged blades inside the shell,means for giving the blades and the shell a differential rotary motion,an imperforate disk "rigid with the shaft and shell and within thelatter and having its outer edge shaft, and aconical ring behind thesaid 10 proximate to the greatest diameter of the vanes and inclosingsaid liquid discharge. shell and separated therefrom to provide an Intestimony whereof I have hereunto set opening around which allthe-material fed my hand in presence of two subscribing into theapparatus above the disk must pass, Witnesses. the space below the diskhaving a liquid dis- JOHN VVARNE PHILLIPS. charge separate from thedischarge of the .Witnesses:

solids, said disk having radial vanes on its G. E. MACK,

under side between the scrapers and the FRANK P. LANGAN.

